The Piestewa Peak
Lori Ann Piestewa made history when she was killed in a Humvee ambush in Iraq on March 23, 2003. The 23-year-old Hopi soldier was the first Native American woman to die in combat and the first woman to die in the Iraq War.
Her story goes beyond tragedy. She rescued her best friend Jessica Lynch during the ambush, showing the warrior spirit that her tribe knew well.
Here’s her remarkable story, honored today at Piestewa Peak where thousands hike the challenging summit trail each week.
Her Parents Made Sure She Knew Both Cultures
Piestewa grew up in Tuba City, the biggest town on the Navajo Nation reservation. The reservation borders several Hopi villages, so she lived between two worlds.
Her parents wanted all their children to understand both their Hopi and Hispanic heritage. In high school, she became commanding officer of the Junior ROTC program.
By the time she started thinking about her future, she was a single mom with a 4-year-old boy and a 3-year-old girl to support.
College Wasn’t An Option For Her Family
On March 30, 2001, Piestewa left for basic training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
Her mother later explained why Lori chose the Army: “She wanted to fend for her children. She was going to build us a house and take care of us.
We’re not rich enough to send her to college. When you have obstacles in your way, you take what life offers.”
After basic training, she went to Advanced Individual Training in Virginia and earned promotion to private first class.
Jessica Lynch Became Her Best Friend There
The Army assigned Piestewa to the 507th Maintenance Company at Fort Bliss, Texas. She did clerical work and kept track of supplies for the unit.
At Fort Bliss, she roomed with Private First Class Jessica Lynch, a teenager from West Virginia. The two became close friends and always called each other “roommate” or “roomie.”
Despite coming from completely different backgrounds, they formed a bond that would last through everything that came next.
She Volunteered Even Though She Could Stay
In January 2003, the 507th got orders to deploy to Iraq.
Piestewa was recovering from shoulder surgery after getting hurt during a training exercise, which meant she could have stayed at Fort Bliss.
Instead, she volunteered for the deployment so she could stay with Lynch. Before leaving for Iraq, she told a friend, “I’m not trying to be a hero.”
But she chose to go anyway because that’s what soldiers do for each other.
Everything Started Going Wrong In The Desert
On March 20, the first day of the war, the company moved out of Kuwait at 2 p.m. Problems started immediately.
The 33 vehicles carried tons of equipment and kept getting stuck in the sand as they headed toward the Iraqi border. The next day in Iraq was even worse.
Every 20 minutes, another truck got bogged down in the desert.
By 5:30 a.m. on March 22, the convoy was scattered across miles of desert and had fallen far behind the main force they were supposed to follow.
Captain King Took A Wrong Turn
At 6:00 a.m. on March 23, the 18-vehicle convoy missed its turn onto Highway 8 and kept going on Highway 7 toward Nasiriyah instead.
Captain Troy King led the convoy, but he was a supply officer with little combat training. Iraqi vehicles started following them as they passed a checkpoint near the Euphrates River.
After they drove past the Al-Quds headquarters on the edge of the city, King realized they were lost and tried to turn around.
Lynch’s Truck Broke Down During The Chaos
As the convoy tried to get back on the right road, Jessica Lynch’s truck broke down. Piestewa saw what happened and drove over to help.
She called out “get in, roommate” and picked up Lynch and the others.
At 7:00 a.m., as they turned onto Highway 16, gunfire started hitting the convoy from different directions. Nobody could tell where it was coming from.
The 507th split into three groups as they tried to get out of the city alive.
A Rocket Hit Her Humvee
An Army investigation later said Piestewa came under “a torrent of fire” as she drove at high speed through the ambush.
She kept the Humvee moving while bullets and RPGs flew around them, trying to get her friends to safety. Then a rocket-propelled grenade slammed into her vehicle.
The explosion sent the Humvee crashing into the back of a disabled truck. Three soldiers in the Humvee died instantly, but Piestewa, Lynch, and Shoshana Johnson survived with serious injuries.
The Iraqi Hospital Couldn’t Save Her
Iraqi forces captured Piestewa, Lynch, Johnson, and several other soldiers after the battle. They took the wounded Americans to a civilian hospital in Nasiriyah.
Piestewa had suffered severe head wounds that needed immediate surgery, but the Iraqi hospital couldn’t handle that kind of operation during wartime.
The power kept going out and they didn’t have the right equipment.
A video of the American prisoners, including Piestewa shortly before she died, was later shown on Al Jazeera television around the world.
Honoring Piestewa Even Today
Lori Ann Piestewa died from her injuries on March 23, 2003, at just 23 years old.
She became the first American woman killed in the Iraq War and the first Native American woman to die in combat while serving in the U.S. military.
The Army promoted her to specialist after her death and awarded her the Purple Heart and Prisoner of War Medal.
On April 1, Special Forces rescued Lynch from the hospital and recovered Piestewa’s body from a mass grave behind the building.
Arizona later renamed Piestewa Peak in her honor.
Visiting Piestewa Peak In Arizona
Piestewa Peak in Phoenix honors Army Specialist Lori Ann Piestewa, the first Native American woman killed in combat.
You’ll find memorial plaques at the base trailhead area that were installed in 2019 during renovations.
The challenging Summit Trail climbs 1,200 feet in just over a mile to reach panoramic views of Phoenix.
The mountain itself serves as her memorial—renamed from Squaw Peak in 2008. No dogs allowed on the summit trail, but other easier trails circle the base.
Trailhead hours are 5 a.m. to 7 p.m., trails stay open until 11 p.m.
This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.
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